Holder for record cards or sheets



1939- J. wv GUILDAY ET AL 2,169,999

- HOLDER FOR RECORD CARDS OR SHEETS Filed March 19, 1938 Mel ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 22, 1939 HOLDER. FOR RECORD CARDS R SHEETS John William Guilday, Mount Vernon, and Joseph Jeming, New York, N. Y., assignors to Maurice R. Scharfi, New York, N. Y.

Application March 19, 1938, Serial No. 196,864

8 Claims. (01. 281-44) channel E the flanges of which form the fourth UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE This invention relates to holders for record cards or sheets for use by inspectors and investigators engaged infield work. More particularly, it has reference to holders for cards de- 5 signed for subsequent use in tabulating machines, such as those described in the U. S. Patent to Lake 1,772,492, issued August 12, 1930. Cards with bent edges or corners will not operate properly when used in tabulating machines, so that 0 the customary method of carrying the cards in a coat pocket is unsatisfactory.

The chief object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a simple form of holder which will hold the cards so that their edges and corners are protected while permitting the topmost card of a stack to be filled out without removing it from the holder. According to the present invention, therefore, the holder comprises a board having a pocket for holding a stack of 0 cards parallel to the upper surface of the board,

and a cover of sheet material for such pocket having a window therein to permit data to be recorded on the uppermost card in the stack. This Window has at least one of its dimensions smaller 25 than that of the cards to holdthe latter in position in the pocket.

Another object is to provide a storage space within the board for the cards as they are filled out. According to the present invention, two

3 pockets are provided, one for blank cards and the other for filled-out cards, with means for transferring the cards from the first pocket to the second without removing them from the holder.

One suitable form of construction is illustrated,

35 by way of example, in the accompanying drawing,

wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the holder;

Fig. 2 is a rear View of the same;

Fig, 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

40 Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

As shown, the holder consists of a wooden board It! having two card pockets 'H and 12 therein for blank and filled-in cards 8 and 9, respectively. The three outer walls of the pockets are, to advantage, formed of sheet metal angles I3 not only to give a smoother surface for contact with the edges of the cards than wood, but also to enable the pockets to be made deeper than the thickness of the board In. The horizontal flanges of these angles are set in recesses in the face of the board to give the latter a fiush upper surface throughout. The portion H! of the board lying between the pockets forms a partition therebe- 55 tween. This portion is enclosed by a sheet metal side wall of each pocket.

Over the top of the board is a metal sheet which serves as the cover for the pockets.

The partition i4 is cut away on top so that the 5; upper surface of the channel superimposed thereon lies a little distance below such cover to pro- Vide a space through which the uppermost card in the pocket I I can be slid to bring it into pocket I2. A screw i6 and nut I! serve to hold the 1 channel I5 in place.

The bottom of the pockets consists of a single sheet of metal bent at the center into-channel form to enter the space between the pockets and turned over at its edges to enclose the projecting margins of the angle pieces I3. This bottom plate is held in place by a knurled nut 2| engaging the projecting end of the screw it.

The cover 28 has a rectangular aperture or window 22 therein, slightly smaller than the cards 20 8, so that the latter are held in position by the overlapping margins of the plate around such aperture. Overlapping on all four edges is not essential, although preferable. To advantage, though not necessarily, the aperture 22 is formed 25 with a downward extension 23across the partition l4 centrally of the board, for reasons which will be explained later.

In order that the cards in pocket H as they are filled out can be transferredto the pocket 34}. I! by sliding them over the partition Hi, means for pressing the stack of blank cards 8 upwardly against the under side of the cover are provided. While a spring may be used for such purpose,

a simpler and more convenient method is to pro- 35 vide a circular hole 25 in the bottom of the pocket l2 through which a finger can be inserted to raise the stack of cards. To ensure that the cards are pressed upwards evenly, a looseplate 21 of the same size as the cards is placed under the stack. To hold the cards 8 in their uppermost position while filling out the top one, a wedge 26 is provided which may be inserted through the aperture 25. i

After the stack of cards 8'has been lifted by 5 the fingers of the left hand, the topmost card is engaged by the fingers of the right hand and slid over the partition M, as indicated in Fig. 4. The downward extension 23 of the aperture 22 permitsthe right hand fingers to remain on the card until it has been moved clear across the partition into the second pocket 12. Otherwise, the card would have to be shaken down into the pocket I 2.

It will be noted that the pocket l2 also contains a plate 21 and that its bottom has an aperture 25. The purpose of this second plate and aperture is to enable the stack of filled-out cards to be raised so that the topmost card can be moved back into pocket I I in case it is desired to insert additional data thereon. To enable this reverse movement to take place it is essential that the aperture extension 23 extend over the stack of cards 9, as shown.

The board is, to advantage, made considerably longer than is necessary to accommodate the two pockets to give ample space on which to rest the arm while writing on the exposed card and also to provide a support for a sheet of paper or the like on which additional dota is to be recorded. A spring clip 30 at the left margin is provided for holding such sheet while writing thereon.

What is claimed is:

1. A holder for record cards, comprising a board having two shallow pockets having a depth much less than length or breadth side by side in the same plane parallel to the upper surface of the board, a partition therebetwe-en, one pocket being for blank cards and the other for filledout cards, a cover of sheet material for said pockets having a window above the pocket for the blank cards, one of the dimensions of such window being smaller than that of the cards to hold the latter in position in their pocket, detachable closures for the bottoms of said pockets to allow stacks of cards to be inserted or withdrawn from said pockets, and means for pressing the stack of blank cards upwardly against the under side of the cover, the top of the partition being spaced away from the under side of the cover to permit the top card in the first pocket to be slid over the partition into the second pocket after the stack of blank cards has been brought into engagement with the under side of the cover.

2. A holder as in claim 1, in which a part of one margin of the window is extended outwardly over and beyond the said partition to enable the operators finger to remain on the topmost card in the first pocket until it has passed over said partition.

3. A holder as in claim 1, in which the bottom of the pocket for blank cards has an aperture therein for the passage of a finger to enable the stack of blank cards to be pressed upwardly against the under side of the cover.

4. A holder for record cards, comprising a wooden board having two rectangular openings therein, sheet metal linings for the side walls of such openings, the lower margins of such linings extending below the bottom of the board, the upper margins of such linings being flush with the top of the board except along that portion of the board between the two openings where such upper margins are sunk below the top of the board by an amount somewhat greater than the thickness of a card, a sheet-metal cover for said board having a window above the first opening to permit notations to be made on the topmost card and to allow such card to be moved by the fingers from the first opening to the second, and a removable flanged closure arranged to fit over the projecting lower margins of said linings.

5. A holder for record cards, comprising a wooden board having two rectangular openings therein, sheet metal linings for the side walls of such openings, the upper margins of such linings being flush with the top of the board except along that portion of the board between the two openings where such upper margins are sunk below the top of the board by an amount somewhat greater than the thickness of a card, a sheet-metal cover for said board having a window above the first opening to permit notations to be made on the topmost card and to allow such card to be moved by the fingers from the first opening to the second, and a removable closure for said openings.

6. A holder for record cards, comprising a wooden board having two rectangular openings therein, sheet metal linings for the side walls of such openings, the lower margins of such linings extending below the bottom of the board, the upper margins of such linings being outwardly flanged with the flanges sunk in recesses in the top of the board so that their upper surfaces are flush with the top of the board except along that portion of the board between the two openings where the upper surfaces of the flanges are sunk below the top of the board by an amount somewhat greater than the thickness of a card, a sheet-metal cover for said board having a window above the first opening to permit notations to be made on the topmost card and to allow such card to be moved by the fingers from the first opening to the second, and a removable flanged closure arranged to fit over the projecting lower margins of said linings.

7. A holder for record cards, comprising a wooden board having an opening therethrough for cards near one end, a second opening therethrough for cards near its middle, a sheet-metal cover for said board having a window above the first opening to permit notations to be made on the topmost card, the top of the portion of the board between said two openings being depressed below the level of the remainder of the top to provide a space between the top of said portion and the under side of the cover for the passage of a card from the first opening to the second, and a removable closure for the under side of said openings.

8. A holder for record cards, comprising a wooden board having a metal-lined opening therethrough for cards near one end, a second metallined opening therethrough for cards near its middle, a sheet-metal cover for said board having a window above the first opening to permit notations to be made on the topmost card, the top of the portion of the board between said two openings being depressed below the level of the remainder of the top to provide a space between the top of said portion and the under side of the cover for the passage of a card from the first opening to the second, and a removable closure for the under side of said openings.

JOHN WILLIAM GUILDAY. JOSEPH JEMING. 

